An Office Cliche
by Selbe
Summary: Entry for the 2nd Cavalry contest. Kaoru has been under stress lately, so he decides to work under someone he's familiar with. Little does he know that more stress than ever is about to come.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note**: For the Cliché's Challenge.

Some people are incapable of understanding the tone of serious a specified situation may require. For instance, say you were recently employed by the CEO of a company your family was affiliated with that happened to be owned by a former classmate of yours. Say your status was that of a highly respected politician—though that was not the career you pursued—and you were shamed by being present with a different job; say the job of menial laborer.

This is where I start my tale. I am Kaoru Hitachiin—son of a major fashion designer and twin to the husband of a recently famed politician, who I might add is famed due to the scandalous act of marrying the mischievous and misbehaving son of a fashion designer.

Well, as I was saying, I am now being hired by one of the ridiculously numerous corporations run by the acclaimed Ohtori family, working under the very heir to the corporation, third son of the patriarch of the family—Kyouya Ohtori.

The reason why I had applied for a position at the company was simple—I needed to work under someone I was familiar with. I had been feeling down lately and couldn't handle working with a bunch of strangers. So I made a list of my friends:

_Tamaki—Idiot_

As you can see, I refused to take a job that involved me working for him. He's more moronic than anyone I know.

_Hikaru—Isn't doing anything productive. Lives off inheritance and wife._

Slow-bro is a no go.

_Honey—Annoying. Personality sucks._

He was never going to see the sheet anyway.

_Mori—Working under the servant? What does that make me? A dog?_

Enough was written.

_Haruhi—She's a lawyer, dumbass. What're you gonna do; lie for her?_

No spit, Sherlock.

_Kyouya—Successful. Make lots of money._

Duhn, duhn, duhn… I'd had no choice. It was time for me to enter the domain of the Shadow King. I guess I'll start from the beginning here.

Receipt of Office Hours—

I walked down the halls of the building, making my way to where I thought the room for orientation was. I was given a map—yes, I needed a map—so I wouldn't get lost in the dimension of a building. The whole building was surrounded by windows, and it was starting to get to me. I couldn't tell whether or not the design was so we could look out or outsiders could look in. Either way, I wanted to be assigned to an inner area of the building.

After what seemed like forever I came upon the office where orientation took place—commonly called by experienced employees the 'N00b Room', known by referred n00bs as Hell. All this I picked up while eavesdropping in the halls.

I opened the door warily, wondering how terrible it would be. Upon opening it I noticed two figures inside: a man standing next to a desk and a woman behind the desk. Both seemed somewhat intimidating on first glance, staring down at some papers, all the while glaring at the other for providing more work for them. Opposite the two were a couple of chairs for those that must wait. Seeing I qualified as such, I sat down and shut up, not wanting to be the recipient of such a glare.

I instead stared out one of the numerous windows occupying the outer wall. The Ohtori family seemed to dominate the whole of the universe. If you didn't see their name on a sign you saw their product. If you didn't see the patriarch on television, you saw one of the sons—Kyouya more often than not.

Just as I finished up my musing, the man began to leave the room and turned to me. "I have a warning for you, n00b. You get one or the other; complaints aren't accepted." Uh, I though orientation was in this office. He just left.

"Come here, kid," the woman said. I admit I was young, 24, but I was not a 'kid'. I wouldn't say so, though it was true, because it would prove me juvenile. Instead I would mentally make fun of her complexion. Zit scars, bweh, heh, heh; your pores remind me of Spongebob. "You were specially requested by the CEO for orientation." I tried to look surprised. The Shadow King was out to harass me, I knew. She handed me a paper. "Directions to his office." Uh huh. Top room. Lots of windows.

I stalked out of the room, mind as blank as it could possibly be. Kyouya was the only person I knew that was more conniving than me. Him requesting for me to come to his office was like Satan asking you to bare your chest to him so he could tear your heart out and bite off your appendages. Needless to say I was going to visit him.

I took the elevator and waited, staring at the numbers. In this building there were actually both floors for four and nine. Kyouya was above traditional superstition, huh? Well, I couldn't blame him. Whenever Hikaru and I were asked to pick how many fingers a person was holding up behind their back we'd choose those. We were ornery.

I walked out of the elevator, all the while fixing myself with my best poker face. Hikaru and I had practiced these on each other until perfection was met. I wouldn't be beat by Kyouya.

I reached the door to his office, reading the outer sign before knocking. It read: CEO, Ohtori Kyouya. I wondered if I'd get a fancy sign on my friggin' office. I knocked, entering before even receiving an answer.

The office was lined parallel with bookshelves on the walls opposite his desk. The entire wall behind him was a window, and the only thing occupying his desk was an advanced computer that I could afford if I wanted to spend my entire inheritance. Oh, I was filthy rich, but Kyouya was god. He looked up at me from his work.

"Hello, Kaoru."

"Hello, Ohtori-sama." I was already freaked out.


	2. Chapter 2

"Let's get down to business then," Kyouya says, picking up a folder of papers and tapping it on his desk twice to straighten any papers inside. I knew this trick. It was just a way to look more professional, even though he wasn't. Then again, I had no room to talk. After all, he was the boss here. After staring down at the file for what seemed like three seconds he returned his gaze to me. "You know you've secured a position here." I nodded, though it was no question.

"You'll be working full hours. Six in the morning to nine in the afternoon." _Panic! At the Disco_—mental whoot. "The position you have been assigned is very important. After all, you are a friend of mine." The tone of his voice sounded formal to others, but I could sense the mischief due to my familiarity with him. This job would no doubt be a strenuous one for me. "In fact, it relates to me, acquiring a substantial amount of seriousness." I get it; you're the CEO. Accolade, accolade!

"You needn't be introduced to many of your colleagues at this stage in your career," he said. I knew it: He planned on killing me. "Most of the work you'll be doing will be assigned directly by me." Holy spit. This was going to suck. "So Kaoru, your work starts today. You can temporarily work over there. I assure you it's only for today." He gestured in the direction of a small desk at the wall opposite him, nearest the door. To anyone else his lips were a pleasant upwardly curved line, but to me it was a smirk. I gave him no coy smile. Was I being consumed by my own paranoia? No, I say.

He reached over the desk, the folder he had just straightened in his hand. "You'll just be doing paperwork for the day." I nodded and hurried to the sanctuary of the desk.

The only problem I had with it was that it faced the wall. I swore I could feel his eyes on my back, but whenever I nonchalantly pretended to look out the window his eyes were on his work.

The paperwork seemed a bit odd. It asked me of the things I'd be willing to do—fill in the bubble for Y or N. I was asked some pretty weird questions to say the least. It odd—until I got to the section on what I've _done. _Then it was just plain bizarre. I always thought Kyouya was a closet perv, though my sentiments were never shared with my brother, but I didn't think anyone else would be as audacious—and powerful enough to be—as to ask such things.

Any kind of question that seemed even unacceptable to ask in polite conversation was there. A few examples, my answers in italics:

_Have you ever had an alleged affair with an employer?_ : Y or _N_

If it were alleged I never would've admitted to it, though the question wasn't so abnormal.

_Have you ever slept with your sibling?: _Y or _**N**_

That's just perverse. Who would sleep with their _sibling_? Not me, that's for sure. Pshhh… Maybe he was just asking in a nonsexual way…

_Have you ever sexually harassed a member of the same sex in the office?: _Y or _N_

More like did you get caught. All right, so this question wasn't as intrusive as the last.

—_Did you get caught?: _Y or _N_

Trust me. If I had been caught, everyone would know. I'm like fresh flesh for the piranhas that are the tabloids.

_Is your pet male?: _Y or _N_

What the hell?

_Is it female?: _Y or _N_

It's an it, stupid.

Well, the questions were weird. I don't know which idiot wrote it, but I wouldn't have been surprised if Kyouya himself composed it, if not Tamaki. His idiocy would prevent him from writing about such heinous behavior, though he would ask about the gender of pets before asking whether or not one possessed a domesticated animal at all.

If this were Old Japan I would have abdicated my role as patriarch and shammed asceticism, but this wasn't Old Japan so I actually had to work. But I could retire early if I wanted to. The possibilities were endless for me, yet I was in his office filling out inappropriate papers for my new boss. It wasn't exactly a pleasant experience to say the least, but as weird as it sounds, I'd rather be sexually harassed by Kyouya than some strange new boss or Tamaki.

After a few hours of filling out the questionnaire, I was finally finished with it. I walked over to his desk, holding the folder out to him as he had for me. After about half a minute he looked up and me and took it, smirking. "You finished it pretty quickly."

It wasn't hard. You just applied and lied to fit the job. He knew it too. Just looking through it he would know most of the 'no's' were lies. Of course I'd slept with my brother; in what way not specified. It was clear that he was screwing with me. He hadn't even told me what my job would be exactly.

He skimmed through the folder, his smirk never wavering. "Interesting," he mused. "As of today, you are my new secretary."

"Of course," I muttered.

"Excuse me?"

"Of course, _sir_," I added cheekily. He only set the folder back on his desk and continued his work, his smirk still plastered to his face.

As he worked I hovered opposite him, waiting for another assignment. About half an hour later he acknowledged me. "You're still there?" I tried to refrain from rolling my eyes or flipping him off. If I was cheeky, then he was just plain impertinent. I had stood there not once making a noise, waiting for him to tell me what to do next. "It seems you had slipped my mind for a moment." Nothing slips his mind, save common courtesy.

"Here's your actual first assignment," he began, never once even looking at me, tapping the keys on his computer. "We have a couple of clients that want to rent out an island for their honeymoon, both of which being... assets to the company. I have already taken care of the island for them, but they need the dress to be picked up for the bride. They had a dozen custom made, so they should fit. However, they want to be sure, but the bride doesn't have time to pick any up today. That's where you come in." He picked up the folder and flipped it open, turning his gaze from the computer to the intimate false details of my life.

"You seem to be the correct size," he said, a bit of condescension apparent. That was one of the things I answered truthfully, though I regret it now. Wow, this woman must have been flat. "You'll be trying on dresses for the man and sending me photos of them." Wow… That explained a lot. The couple was gay, and Kyouya _was _a perv. He took out his phone and held out his other hand, conveying the message without words. I knew that they would go through him first.

I held out my phone, allowing him to exchange our phone numbers. After he finished, he handed the phone back to me. "Here's the address." He handed me a sheet with all of the information. "I'm sure one of the workers there would be glad to take the pictures for you. Don't forget to wear the panties either, or the dress won't fit quite right." Uh- huh. Wanna see those too? Does your psychiatrist know about this hobby of yours? Is that why the last secretary quit?

I took the paper and left the room silently, then the building. I talked to no one, wishing no one's presence upon me. Would this be humiliating? Definitely. Would I bite back? Oh, _most_ definitely. If Kyouya wanted panties, I'd give him panties… Or something like that… But more clever. I was motivated—and disturbed. Why couldn't the couple just both wear tuxes?

I walked down the busy street, frustrated and anxious as to how I'd get back. I could always strut my stuff and shock him, but my introverted act at the club wasn't entirely fake. Kyouya knew that. Kyouya knew everything. If anyone had a blemish on their butt, he would know, and he would know before you knew. My excessive worrying made me unaware that I had even reached my destination.

It was called Beauty's Bridal Gowns, and it scared the spit out of me. I'd worn dresses before, but that was when Hikaru and I both wore them. I could be confident with him, but having a bunch of ladies bustling about me trying to fit a dress to my 'curves' unnerved me. I decided I would think of Lobelia while trying on dresses to keep my spirits up—and keep me feeling a bit more dignified.

I walked in slowly—for dramatic effect and the effect of fear. The entire store was white except for the flowers and ornate designs on dresses. I was assaulted by one of the workers right as I walked in. "Welcome!" She exclaimed, her eyebrows raised so high that they looked like the big Mickey D's arches, proof that she either hated her job more than I did or had too much Botox. "What can I do for you?"

"I'm here for Ohtori Company cliental business," I replied as professionally as possible.

"So you're the sucker that has to try on the dresses." Though her chipper personality had instantaneously changed, I was not impressed. My boss was the Shadow King, so screw you, lady. I make more money than you, and I'm a secretary. I smiled.

I tried to sound entirely fine with this. "I'm here for the dresses, thank you." I scratched my head, blushing. The less upset I sounded the better, and the more I sounded taken advantage of the more she'll try to relate.

"Oh," she said, sounding surprised. "Come this way darling." I saw her face flush and smirked after she'd turned around. I had my own charms. She led me into a dressing room. I'd seen larger at my childhood house, but Haruhi would say it was ridiculously large. She shut the door behind her, still a bit flushed. "Don't worry dear. We've all been stuck with the embarrassing job before. You know how the higher ups are. The CEO's never doing anything." I just tilted my head a bit and lowered my eyebrows, conveying a sham look of understanding. She seemed to buy it. "You can start undressing. I'll go get the wedding dresses." She then left me alone to strip.

I took off my suit until I was left in my boxers. According to my boss, there were matching panties I had to try on. However, unless he wanted me to flip the dress and take pictures to make sure I was wearing the panties; I was not putting them on.

"Are you ready?" she asked through the door.

"…Yeah," I said sheepishly, smiling coyly at her as she entered the room. Yep, I was pretty conniving. If she liked me enough I could get her to vouch for me and say that I was wearing them. She pulled in a wheeled rack of dresses behind her. All of them were tight, really revealing, or had excessive complicated sashes and knots to be tied.

She grabbed the first one off the rack and handed it to me. It wasn't _horrid._ It was pretty conservative with some frills. Next to it on the hanger was a pair of not-so-conservative underwear. Lacy. "Could you help me, please?" I was at a loss when it came to putting on wedding dresses.

"Of course, dear," she said, helping slip the dress over me. It fit me perfectly, but it was a bit itchy. I bent over and dug through my pile of clothing on the floor, pulling my phone out of a pocket.

"Would you mind?" I asked.

"Of course not!"

She grabbed the phone eagerly and set it up for a picture. I stood straight, my hands at my sides. "You have to pose!" I blinked. "Turn toward the side a bit." I did as she ordered. "Hand on your hip." I did. "Other hand." Again I followed her orders. "Smile."

She looked at the phone, grinning. "Here you go." She handed it over for me to look at. My hair was a bit mussed up, but it wasn't too bad. If I pretended it wasn't me but Hikaru I would think it was attractive, but I can't say I'm attractive. That'd be vain of me—and hint narcissism. I sent it to Kyouya as promised and asked the lady to help me take it off.

Right after I had stripped I received a text:

_Did you wear the panties?_

My reply:

_Yes._

His reply:

_Show me._

My reply:

_I can't / the woman here can vouch for me_

"Would you please call him and tell him I wore the panties?" I asked the woman, covering my mouth with one hand to look shameful. She smiled and took the phone, doing as I asked. She then handed the phone back.

His text reply:

_I don't believe you. Remember who you work for. The client isn't pleased. _

My reply to the pervert:

… _Okay_

"He doesn't believe me. Could you hand me back the panties?" And so she did. And she took the picture too. It was humiliating, but I wasn't going to play his game. I hadn't planned to. So I flaunted it—and I flaunted it well.

His reply to the picture message:

_I sent it to them right away. _

Comfort to know the clients had a picture of my butt, and they were about to get a ton more. We proceeded to photograph me in the other dresses and matching panties, each one being sent to Kyouya, though I didn't receive another reply from him, and some of the dresses were really skimpy, and she made sure the poses matched the dress or she refused to take them. It always took her a bit longer than usual for her to take the picture. I imagined her forwarding the photos back to her own phone and deleting the sent messages. I would later get a print out of my sent messages.

We finally finished, and I was too exhausted to blush. I would make sure that this photo shoot would stay alleged if ever leaked to the press. Photo shop can do a lot would be my plea. This woman was almost as familiar with my body as I was, though Hikaru was much more familiar than the two of us—but he wasn't familiar in a weird way…

I left the store, bidding farewell to the woman I suspected was browsing through photos of me. I was betting she knew Renge through a chatroom.

When I returned to the building it was pretty late. In fact, I was almost done for the day. Putting the dresses on and taking all the pictures was more exhausting than one would expect. Then I had to deal with that woman whose name I never even took the trouble to find out.

"I've completed the assignment," I announced as I opened the door to his office.

"Perfect," he said, closing the binder in front of him on the desk to look up at me. "They are very pleased with your work. Your poses were unnecessary, but the couple really appreciated them. They helped exhibit the gowns."

"You're dismissed for the day, Kaoru," Kyouya released me. "Be here on time tomorrow."

"Yes, sir."


	3. Chapter 3

_Author's Note: Ideologically Sensitive Material _

I went into work bright and early the next morning, though I wasn't eager. I just wanted to make sure Kyouya didn't punish me for being late. In that case I would have quit the job, despite the fact Kyouya was the only friend of mine I could even _stand _to work for. He's like one of my mother's pregnant clients—always upset because whatever my mom makes can't slim them down.

Oh, he was happy with me the other day, but I always saw him with Haruhi. He was grateful to her, but he always had to do something to make it seem otherwise. He's an oppositional man to be working for, I can say. I just haven't experienced the worst of it yet. I would soon; I was sure.

I checked in and took the elevator wearily, having no premonition whatsoever of the horrors that would later unfold before me. I didn't even knock on his office. I reached for the knob, but when I tried to turn it, the knob wouldn't budge. I wriggled it for a bit, and it unlatched and opened. Upon opening the door I noticed the room was dimly lit. Kyouya was sitting behind his desk looking somewhat disheveled.

Just ignore any oddities. "Good morning, Ohtori-sama," I smiled, tilting my head cutely. "How was your night?" It took him a few seconds, but he responded according.

Smirk. "Spectacular, _Kaoru_." My name rolled off his tongue. "How was your night? Did you sleep well?"

… Uh. "Splendid. My sleep went uninterrupted." Until my alarm at four-thirty woke me up to go to work ridiculously early.

"Isn't that fortunate?" Condescension was evident in the question, sounding as if he was speaking to a child.

"Quite so," I replied formally. "If I may ask, what is it that I have assigned for today?" He gestured for me to approach his desk, so I abided by his command.

"Here," he said, handing me a little leather booklet. "As my secretary, you will be keeping track of all of my appointments and making sure I am there on time." He licked his lips, his eyes drooping slightly. "Six-thirty a.m. Meeting with the board of directors downtown. Noon. Meeting with clients at address — — — — —." I jotted all of this down as quickly as I could with a pen I stealthily swiped off his desk. "Three-forty-five p.m. Meeting with clients at address — — — — —." He was reciting all of this from memory. "Five p.m. Dinner with my father." I made the assumption I would be accompanying him. "Seven p.m. Receipt of papers from fax machine—return to office." I glanced up at him, my eyes asking whether the barrage of appointments. "That is all." He then ran his fingers through his hair, swirling to face the window in his comfortable swivel chair. Spit.

"We need to go now, Ohtori-sama, for the meeting with the board of directors." Did it even matter if he showed up? He did run the entire company, but if anyone chastised him for blowing it off he could let 'em go. He glanced at me out of the corner of his eye. I wouldn't have known except for the reflection of him in the window.

"Yes," he breathed. He looked like he'd been up late the night before. I almost felt sorry for him, save for the fact that he made me try on dozens of panties the day before and (presumably) pored over the photos in his office like it was his man-cave-lair. All of these were presumptions though, so I could not prove it, and it wasn't really worth proving. Even if he were a man-perv, it's not like I could bust him for it. I'd be fired and hunted down by his 'own special police force' that he constantly threatened the common Haruhi with—and she didn't even have a passport. If Arnold Schwarzenegger was 'The Terminator', Kyouya was The Manipulator.

There was no use pondering it. I was going to be his marionette for a while, so I might as well get myself used to it. "Your driver is already out waiting for us," I said. "We should hurry." He rose from his chair leisurely and followed me out the door, fixing his hair with one hand in an attempt to compose himself.

When we reached the limo, I blanched at the sight of it. It took up what appeared to be the entire block. I didn't know whether I was impressed or horrified. As I'd mentioned before, he'd always been rich, but he never really did something this excessive on a whim. This seemed to be normalcy for him, and it definitely made me even more intimidated by him. I did respect him for his success, however frightening it was. He made the company prosper even more than his father had, and his father was a freak. I would never say that to Kyouya, but everything with his father had to do with business. You never heard about a picture of 'CEO of the Ohtori Company Takes a Day off to Have Fun with His Sons'. It went a lot more like 'CEO of the Ohtori Company Becomes Dangerously Ill from Sleep Deprivation Due to Over-working'. He was a CEO, and his sons were his stock. If the investment in them turned out to not be worth it, he'd have to sell them.

I wasn't surprised at all that Kyouya was the successor to his father. His brothers were intriguingly smart, but Kyouya had his strategy down. He focused all of the attention on someone else so he could slide up in the ranks unnoticed. That's how his father noticed him. That's how he was recognized; he was a man who didn't need the limelight. That worked fine for his father, because the less attention a company received in the media the better. He could keep all the bad under the radar, and all of the good above it.

I thought about it as I opened the door for Kyouya, letting him in first. I slid in after him, curiously watching him take his seat. After a while he noticed me staring and looked back questioningly. "It's nothing," I murmured, for the first time genuinely blushing at my rudeness. I normally wasn't one to look awkwardly like that at a person. I hoped Kyouya didn't think badly of me for it.

It made me feel ashamed. While he, Tamaki, and Honey had gone on to do something great, I was doing nothing. Even Hikaru had done something productive—well kind of. He certainly threw himself into the limelight. Mori was working as Honey's protector, so he pretty much had a free ride. Haruhi was a lawyer, and that was still a pretty great job. Plus she was married to Tamaki—another free ride. I sighed, wondering if I would ever succeed in anything. The only positive affiliation I had was with the adoption agency, and that was because of my cat back at my apartment, Ko-Usagi—Honey barged into my apartment when I had adopted him and was set on me naming him Ko-Usagi. He wouldn't leave unless I named him that. I just call him Ko.

I scolded myself for letting my thoughts wander so aimlessly. I noticed Kyouya staring at me, which only made me feel more ashamed. I looked like an idiot…

… Or not. We had finally reached the building where the meeting was to be held. A man stood outside holding up a cardboard sign that read Ohtori like it was an airport. Well, I could have been stuck with his job, so I was feeling a bit better than before.

I left the car first, leaving the door open for Kyouya then closing it. I predicted boredom would ensue.

… And I was correct. The following hours were so dull I didn't bother to pay attention. I just followed Kyouya around and jotted down notes for him in the back of the booklet. It felt like an entire waste of time, but I suppose these places are where the big shots have all of their fun. After all, they get to decide the fate of the entire universe and the state of the economy. Ohtori stocks don't ever crash—_ever_. What Ohtori says goes. Stock crashes there and we all go boom. _Apocolypse_.

Then I had to follow him to see his two clients, and that was all right. They set out a ton of food for us, so I amused myself looking at the ornate frostings, but I didn't eat any. I had never quite lost my refined tastes, and these weren't as great as those from my childhood mansion. I wondered if mom would have us take over the company at the case of her retirement; predictably so.

The most uncomfortable even was the dinner with his father, which I didn't even understand going to because I was his secretary. We walked in, everything normal, had our coats taken for us, and we were led to the dining hall. There were six chairs at the table, and it was about forty feet long. I'd seen fewer chairs at an even longer table, so that wasn't in the least bit unnerving. All of his siblings shook my hand along with his parents, and we were all introduced though I'd seen his father before.

His sister moved her chair so she could sit directly next to me. She started asking me all these questions about being his secretary. I left out every little awkward bit, but otherwise answered honestly—for the most part. His father discussed business with him while his mother tried to convince him to settle down. I kept all of my opinions to myself and remained silent unless addressed. This dinner seemed somewhat strained to me, and I felt awkward at this family event.

Kyouya's brothers didn't speak to him at all, and only spoke to their father and mother. It wasn't unexpected. I had thought as much. Of course they would feel malice toward their youngest brother; the brother who became the rightful successor to the Ohtori legacy while the two oldest worked beneath him. I found it all quite indignant of them. They just weren't cunning enough to be suited for the job. Maybe if they'd kissed more of their father's butt they'd have inherited the company instead. Even I could have beaten those two. They weren't shifty enough to defeat anyone like Kyouya.

We finally returned to the car after what I took a horrendous dinner, though I didn't share my sentiments with Kyouya. He seemed a bit pleased with it. If that went well according to his family's standards, I was glad. Of course he could have been smug at his brothers' envy of him. That seemed more plausible. Outside of the car, I heard rain begin to fall. Because I held the door for him, I was drenched.

We reached the office, both of us pretty tired. I didn't particularly enjoy spending an entire day in a serious matter. It made me miss Hikaru. He could always find entertainment in the most awkward of moments, no matter what the situation may have been. He just had to go and marry a politician. I didn't understand why he left me for her. She had a stick up her butt, and I meant that literally.

We entered the elevator, both of us looking as dead as I felt. I pressed the button for our floor, waiting patiently for the elevator to rise. I found comfort in the shifting of the floor beneath our feet. It made me feel more alive.

That is, until it abruptly stopped. The light suddenly went off, leaving me completely in the dark. The room was completely silent—hell, it felt like the entire building was, save for our breathing. It was moments before either of us even spoke. "Our power line must've gone down," I decided aloud. Due to the darkness, I couldn't see if he had nodded.

"It will probably be a while before it starts back up again. For the time being, we are trapped."

I was well aware of the fact we were trapped. What mattered was that I was trapped in an entirely enclosed space with former Shadow King of the very host club that tore apart my relationships, from birth and forged that very year. I couldn't say whether or not the memory of the club was cherished or dreaded. If it weren't for that club… so much would have happened for me. I suddenly sneezed, breaking the awkward silence the two of us had created in the world that was the elevator.

"Kaoru…" Kyouya called in the darkness. I looked toward him—pointlessly, I realized. "You are only my secretary. You don't have to discomfort yourself by doing such trivial things as holding the door open, especially in the rain. You wouldn't have gotten so wet."

"If I hadn't shut the door then you would have had to take the time to shut it, and then you'd be the one catching a cold." I smirked. Just him saying things like that made me feel awkward. I added, "And that wouldn't be beneficial for either of us."

I didn't hear anything on his part. He was only darkness. I slid down to the floor, leaning against the cool walls of the elevator. Shivering, I pulled away from them, curling up on the floor to stay warm. I though I heard Kyouya shift. He had sat down, I assumed, feeling him moving near me.

"Why did you apply here, Kaoru?" He asked, his usual smug tone reappearing. Was he going to mock me if I answered? Would he think ill of me?

"Ohtori Company seemed to be the best option at the time." It was true. According to my list, everyone else was practically dog meat. I just then realized he may have taken that as a compliment. It was true, though I wished I hadn't said so. Kyouya was the most successful of all of my friends.

"What were your options based on?" I didn't really want to answer, but I was too tired and cold to think of a lie. So I just answered.

"Former members," I began, "of the Host Club." His questions about my job pursuit stopped there.

"Why aren't you and Hikaru together?"

"Together?"

"We were all so certain that you two would be working together, despite the—," I believe he struggled for words here, "falling out." I held in a sigh.

"It wasn't a falling out," I argued. "We wanted to broaden our horizons." I didn't, but I just went along with it to please Hikaru.

"I see," he said. Again, it was silent for a moment. "I heard of your brother's marriage." If all else fails, meddle in family affairs.

"Me too." Awkward silence.

"I take it from your response you aren't pleased with it." Now I sighed. Why would I be?

"Of course I'm pleased. If I weren't pleased I would have objected at the wedding." Oh, that's right. I couldn't. It was an elopement. Even Kyouya knew that. Everybody knew that.

Finally, he asked the question. "Weren't you two lovers for some time?" It was after his rejection from Haruhi. We had tried. We really had.

I shook my head, but soon realized that was ineffective. "He was too ashamed." Kyouya was silent, a motionless gesture beckoning me to continue. "He couldn't stand to be with me after we had separated. He was ashamed because he had left me for her when he had no chance." I should've stopped there. "I don't know why I did it. I _knew_ there was no chance." Stop Kaoru. "I just wanted him terribly to see that I was the only one." After letting it all out, it was my turn to be ashamed.

"None of us saw that coming."

…What?

"We had all thought we knew exactly what would happen. Mori and Honey knew about that Tamaki and Haruhi would end up together, and I, of course, had figured that out. We had never figured that you and Hikaru would actually become lovers. But in the end, you weren't, I suppose, though I myself hadn't known you were so observant." Confusing…

"It hadn't taken long after your separation with Hikaru for me to notice you."

"Me?"

No hesitation. "You were so different from your brother; I didn't think you'd even realized how much you contrasted."

"…We were always a bit different," I murmured, not realizing I'd even said it aloud. I had been in denial about it. I never knew what I wanted to hear, but hearing it from my own mouth made me sure. "I don't think Hikaru could ever notice how I was feeling."

I continued. "At one point, I had liked Haruhi too, and I'm sure you already saw that. He didn't even notice until I had given it all away…"

"He left me for her out of shame, and now I'm all alone. That's why I came here. I had no one else. I just wanted to be near someone I could rely on." And now I was blushing.

"I was up all of last night arguing with my father," he admitted. "He wanted me to hand the company over to my eldest brother."

"Why?" I asked; my shock apparent in my voice.

"The stocks in one of our branches crashed. That was what the meeting was about today." I should have paid a bit of attention. "It didn't affect the company so badly, but things like this normally don't happen to Ohtori Company. He didn't think I could handle it."

I couldn't speak. I just thought this over, running it through my head until it was completely processed. "Was that why everything was so… awkward at dinner?" After saying it I realized I was being rudely frank about it.

"They didn't want to talk to me. If they said anything out of line and I didn't give up the company, they feared they would be fired. I don't plan on retiring so early."

I leaned back, grazing my hands along the floor of the elevator, accidentally brushing against Kyouya's. When I did, he snatched my wrist, pulling it toward him. I swear his lips brushed my hand. "I'm never letting you go." I gasped, surprised by his sudden declaration. "You'll be working under me forever." Uh-huh. I should've known. He had some clever remark up there.

His hand slid up my arm more, gripping my shoulder and pulling me to him until I was sprawled across his lap. One hand moved to my hair while the other tilted my chin up. "I can't see your expression. I wonder how this makes you feel, _Kaoru_." Again, my name rolled off his tongue, eliciting a shiver from me. "You know, after you get wet, it's suggested you strip and share body heat." Not happening, though I had taken off my outer coat. It comforted me to know he couldn't see the heat crawling into my cheeks.

"I wonder if you're as excited by me," he breathed, lowering the hand gripping my hair down to cradle my neck, "as I am by you." I was suddenly feeling uncomfortable, as I was pinning his legs down and my arms were supporting me on either side of him. "Come now, Kaoru. It can't be comfortable holding yourself up like that. Why don't you sit down?" Without even thinking, I did, hanging on every word that came out of his mouth. I could suddenly feel his breath mixing with mine, and the close proximity was starting to make me dizzy. I nearly fell into the crook of his neck. "Have I already got you swooning?" If he kept breathing his words like that, I was going to faint.

He pulled our faces closer, pausing for a moment to prepare… And then his lips were against mine, and there was no confusion at all. I think my eyes were closed, but I wasn't sure in all of the darkness. Where I had felt so cold a moment ago immense warmth now surged through me. I was enraptured at the feel of his hands on me; at my waist, on my neck, cradling my cheek. All the while my fingers were entwined in his hair, tangling rapidly until I thought there was no way for the two of us to separate. I wondered it the pulling was annoying him, but his groans forced me to continue.

I could feel the hand on my back slip lower, and my heart immediately sped up, running so fast I thought it would just stop abruptly. I was starting to feel uncomfortable in my nether regions, and I was thinking Kyouya was feeling it too. "Kaoru," he groaned, removing his lips from mine. I was reluctant to part, but I knew that we really couldn't go any further.

Then we felt the elevator shift, me falling out of his lap to hit my head against the door at the movement. The lights turned back on, and I was finally able to see my handiwork. There Kyouya sat in front of me, his hair mussed, his overcoat buttons undone enough to let it slide down his shoulders. He stared back at me, his expression intrigued. I wondered what I looked like after his job on me. He must be pretty pleased at it by the way he was grinning. My expression was pretty blank. I was still in a daze after the session.

Remembering where we were, I jumped up quickly and tried my best to fix my outfit and hair. Kyouya did the same, only looking a bit more refined than me. We stepped out of the elevator as soon as it opened. I was actually feeling a bit rushed to return to the privacy of an enclosed space, and I was wondering if Kyouya felt it too.

If this is the Apocalypse Ohtori Company instigated, I wanted the world to end right away.


End file.
